Northern Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said on Monday that the fire in a nightclub in the city of Kocani, where 59 people were killed in a fire, was a “mass murder” allowed by corruption, and that there would be “no mercy” for those responsible.
“What happened was worse than a crime,” he said. “That was, I would say, a mass murder allowed by someone for money, bribes, corruption.”
Authorities arrested about 20 people after the fire, including Government officials and the Pulse club manager, according to the Northern Macedonia Interior Minister.
The public prosecutor said the authorities also arrested members of the band and the son of the club owner.
Forty -seven people were treated in hospitals in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Türkiye. Serbia, Czech Republic and Israel burns experts were expected in Northern Macedonia on Monday to assist the local medical team. More people would be taken to hospitals in Croatia and Romania, authorities said.
